The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-07-08

down to tho water way II will soon b,
seen what the trouble Ia. Sometimes
stone has dropped down. and while
the earth was soft above 1t has let the
soil follow. thus making hole as the
earth was washed away by tho water
into the drain. In fixing these places
especial caro- should be taken. ms where
break has been made once 1t Is moi
likely to occur again.
ANTIQUITY OF THE POTATO.
The fact that potatoes are indigenous
in the Andes region Of South America
has been generally accepted as proc
that they were not known in the Eastern
continent until after Columbus dis
covered America. They were undoubt-
eddy introduced into Europe from the
newly discovered continent, and were Il
| long time even after that in making
their way to popular favor But the
| Chinese claim TO have had potatoes
precisely like those now grown from
time mmemorial. Jesuit missionaries
report the potato growing wild in the
western part of China near Tartary,
and It is quite probable that plant so
useful to man was indigenous in both
hemispheres, and used by the people of
each perhaps centuries before either
knew of the existence of the other. In
some parts OF China potatoes are even
more than rice the main food OF the
poorer class OF people.
DESTROYING INSECT EGGS.
In some experiments made in destroy
ing appleleaf aphidcs lice, by spraying
with an emulsion of soap, milk and
kerosene oil. it was found last year that
the mixture killed every aphde it
touched, but there were many hidden
in the leaves, so that they escaped.
This has suggested spraying the trees
earlier, before the leaves are expanded
and while the eggs were exposed on
twigs and branches. This has sue
ceeded perfectly, trees thus sprayed
being entirely free from vermin, while
those left to themselves were covered.
1t needs only a very slight coating of
oil to spoil any egg, and spraying with
emulsions is possibly the best method
of heading off insects whenever their
eggs are laid in masses. 1t would be
excellent to try this on the eggs of the
apple canker-worm in orchards affected
be them. The egg must be pervious
to mir, or the germ of life inside it soon
pershes. An emulsion OF oil will close
these pores so that the egg cannot
hatch.
WASTE GROUND IN THE GARDEN.
1t is somewhat strange that so many
farmers allow their best and richest
land to 60 TO waste, or worse, to be oc-
cupied. with weeds. This is in the
garden, which ought to and generally
does receive more of the manure made
than any other spot on the farm. The
waste usually comes from the mistaken
practice, at least for farmers, of laying
so much of the garden out in beds that
it cannot be cultivated by horse power.
If the garden is plowed early, as il
needs to be for some vegetables, it is
serious work keeping the weeds down
by hand labor in the parts reserved for
beans, late cabbages, cucumbers and
melons. Much saving of labor will be
effected by arranging the garden in the
first place, so that the early vegetables
will be by themselves. Then later.
other parts OF the garden may be cult
waited or even plowed again as needed.
This double or triple blowing of highly
MANFRED land has wonderful effect in
mixing manure with the soil and maxi
ing it more available But even If the
work has now to be done under disad-
vantarcs, the vacant spots should be
filed in with some late garden crop.
This is not alone to get the benefit OF
the fertility that would otherwise be
lost, but also to make sure OF keeping
down weeds, which have a natural at
traction for vacant places on rich soil.
-Aieericap Cultiuator.
|